RALEIGH, N.C. — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), a fixture in Washington for more than two decades, died at 71 after a "brief and sudden illness," his office confirmed early Sunday. The 71-year-old died Saturday evening, his office said in a statement, shortly after returning from a trip to Ukraine and ahead of a scheduled appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press." No cause of death has been released.